Birdwatching Calendar of the Province of Cadiz - review

The Cadiz Turismo has a history of producing useful ornithological guides to the region and its latest offering, “Birdwatching Calendar of the Province of Cadiz”, is arguably the best yet even though it seems to be more aimed at general tourists than experienced birders familiar with the area. This is entirely understandable given the likely ‘target readership’ for a publication sponsored by a tourist board.  The author, Manuel Morales, is one of the region’s premier bird guides (see http://www.birdingtarifa.com/en/about-us) which is reflected in the knowledgeable content.   

This guide was originally published in Spanish (see https://issuu.com/cadizturismo/docs/calendario_de_ornitolog_a_-_provincia_de_c_diz - worth a look even if you don’t read Spanish to access the QR codes).  This is a slightly shorter English version of the guide (87 pp vs 94 pp) and was presented at the inaugural ‘Global Bird Fair’ in Rutland in July 2022.  The guide uses a ‘landscape’ format which I confess I often find somewhat irritating (cf the Sound Approach books) but which, in this instance, works well. After a brief ‘How to use this guide’ introduction, there are three pages devoted to the author’s “Top Ten” iconic species representative of the region’s habitats - Spanish Imperial Eagle, Bald Ibis, Bonelli’s Eagle, Little Swift, Marbled Duck, Red-knobbed Coot, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin, Slender-billed Gull,  Rüppell’s Vulture and Cory’s Shearwater.  Although one can quibble about the inclusion of an introduced species and a relatively rare visitor (the ibis & the vulture) over that of, say, White-headed Duck and Lesser Short-toed Lark, most birders would pick a very similar selection of special birds.  Presumably, the absence of Iberian endemic Azure-winged Magpie reflects the species scarcity at its one site in the province although this doesn’t apply to the near-endemic Iberian Grey Shrike.   

The “top ten” is followed by a dozen pages summarising the habitats and birdlife of each region. Aesthetically, this is beautifully presented with an attractive layout and some excellent bird photos. Personally, I’d have preferred a more detailed text at the expense of aesthetics (particularly where the Bay of Cadiz is concerned since the text gives no idea of the impressive number of birds using this area). However, I suspect that the target readership will be happy with the balance between the content and the guide’s visual attractiveness.

The ’heart’ of the book is the 36 pages devoted to the birds to be seen and the sites to visit in each of six ‘natural regions’ (see map) every month of the year.  Calling them ‘natural regions’ seems to me to be something of a misnomer as the boundaries are based on those of the area’s municipalities rather than a natural subdivision. However, in practice, this isn’t a problem (although it should be noted that “La Janda” covers a much larger area than simply the well-known birding location). The three-page overview for each month gives a representative example of the birds  expected in each region at that time and is linked to a fourth page that suggests sites to visit. For example, in February the focus is on Spoonbills in the Bay of Cadiz (Site - La Caseria  Beach, San Fernando) , Great-spotted Cuckoos near La Janda (Site - Mesa de la Mediana, Benalup), Ring Ousels, Alpine Accentors and Redwing in the Cadiz Mountains (Site - Cerro Coros, Grazalema), Tree Sparrow on the Northwest Coast (Site - La Algaida Pine Forest, near Sanlucar ), White Storks in the Jerez countryside  (Site - El Portal near Jerez) and “aguilas del viento” (literally “wind eagles” as migrating raptors are called locally) in the Campo de Gibraltar (Site - Punta Comorro).  The descriptive notes for each region and the relevant site are in colour co-ordinated boxes (although, oddly, not presented in the same sequence).     

The monthly overview for each region is somewhat brief varying in length between c30 – c80 words although this is supplemented by a short description (c25 – c30 words) about each site.  This can only give the briefest of reviews of the birding possibilities in the area in each month but collectively they still convey a good idea of the province’s birding potential. This section is also beautifully illustrated by a collection of excellent photographs. This is aesthetically very pleasing, but I suspect I’m not alone (again) in favouring smaller/fewer photos but more text. The page on the specific sites includes QR codes for each one.  Before accessing them, I had hoped this would allow access to a more detailed text about the area and its birdlife (to flog a dead horse still further).   However, they are restricted to showing each route on a map preferably via the ad-free Mapas de España app (available via Google Play.  This is an excellent app well worth downloading. As many (but not all sites) are featured on eBird it would have been helpful to add a link to that excellent resource where available (although keener birders will already be aware of this excellent resource).

Although there are 36 texts on the suggested sites there is, understandably, some duplication in the sites covered.  Laguna de Medina is mentioned twice as a site in the Jerez countryside section, but the remaining ten sites are all little known. Somewhat surprisingly, to me at least, several sites further east go unmentioned in favour, it seems, of four urban sites (perhaps reflecting that many tourists will be based in Jerez itself). The section on the Cadiz mountains includes two visits to Puerto de las Palomas and one to nearby Cerro Coros but not, surprisingly, to nearby Grazalema (which is an excellent area for Black Wheatear). Counter intuitively, given the name of this area it includes a visit to two wetlands,  Laguna de Espera and Bornos reservoir.  Not surprisingly, no less than eight of the sites noted under “La Janda” are indeed part of or adjacent to that iconic birding destination. The remaining four include some excellent places to visit: Barca de Vejer (for Bald Ibis), Barbate marshes (for waders), Rio Salado at Conil (again for waders) and, to my delight, Alcala de los Gazules (for the Lesser Kestrel colony). The suggestions for the North-west coast include five visits to areas close to La Algaida (but not surprisingly the well-known Bonanza Salinas) plus several others around Chipiona and Trebujena. The most coherent region in terms of habitat and birdlife is, unsurprisingly, the Bay of Cadiz which offers a good number of sites (although not the newly opened Marismas de Cetina, potentially the best site for birding in the area).  Finally, and understandably, the section on the Campo de Gibraltar concentrates on coastal areas with no less than ten of the suggested localities being on the coast (from Bolonia in the west to Princess Sofia Park, La Linea in the west).  The two exceptions are San Isidro Church (Los Barrios) and El Pajarraco Gorge (Pinar del Rey) which means some good sites in Jimena de la Frontera and Castellar de la Frontera are omitted.  

The remaining dozen pages of the book consist of a checklist of 100 species (cross-referenced to each area), useful lists of tourist offices information points/visitor centres, bird guides & relevant NGOs and, finally, two maps (showing the location of Natural Parks and other nature reserves).
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This is a very attractive guide that all keen birders will benefit from reading even if it is probably aimed at the more general reader.  Of course, it’s no substitute for Ernest Garcia’s “Where to Watch Birds in Southern & Western Spain” but it’s not meant to be and taken on its own terms it does a first-rate job of promoting the province as a birding destination throughout the year, not just at peak migration times.  It’s certainly very welcome that the Cadiz tourism authorities take birdwatching so seriously and have knowledgeable advocates like Manuel Morales (amongst others) to plead the cause. I pride myself on knowing the province better than most visitors but there were still several sites I didn’t know.  Keen birders may well hope that the author writes a more detailed book based on this novel idea but in the meantime, it’s well worth picking up this guide (presumably available at any Turismo in Cadiz and hopefully, at some, point available on ISSUU).